Cady and Gat’s Romance in ‘We Were Liars’: Insights from Emily Alyn Lind and Shubham Maheshwari

In the captivating world of ‘We Were Liars,’ the romance between Cadence Sinclair Eastman and Gatwick Patil stands out as a pivotal element. In this article, we delve into insights from Emily Alyn Lind and Shubham Maheshwari about their characters’ love story and the challenges they face.

Exploring Cady and Gat’s Romance in ‘We Were Liars’

SPOILER ALERT: This piece contains spoilers for the entirety of Prime Video’s We Were Liars, including the finale.

One of the core elements of E. Lockhart’s young adult novel We Were Liars is the will-they-won’t-they dynamic between Cadence Sinclair Eastman and Gatwick Patil.

The television series adaptation follows Emily Alyn Lind’s Cadence, known as Cady, and Shubham Maheshwari’s Gat across eight episodes within a timeline slightly more condensed than that of the novel. At the start of the show, Cadence is grappling with the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury she suffered during what she and her friends refer to as summer 16. Now, in summer 17, she returns to Beechwood Island, her family’s summer retreat, trying to piece together the events of summer 16.

Readers familiar with Lockhart’s book have an inkling of how the story concludes and the events that leave Cadence questioning her memories, which gradually resurface through selective amnesia and migraines.

“Whether this happened, summer 16 or 17 or 18, there was going to be a crack, because it was slowly chipping away at this family, it was slowly breaking these kids down for so long that,” Lind shared with Deadline. “All of a sudden it was just going to plummet to the ground.”

We’ll keep the specifics vague for those who wish to finish the show, which has all episodes currently streaming on Prime Video. The following conversation lightly reveals the finale and the outcome of Gat and Cady’s romance, as a caution!

Building the Romance

DEADLINE: How did both of you approach this first love romance between Cadence and Gat, especially with what happens in the end?

EMILY ALYN LIND: I think we both agree that they were never going to just be friends. I don’t think that was ever an option.

Regarding the love story and its beauty, we had a wonderful time establishing that chemistry. It was incredibly vulnerable. We worked with Nzingha Stewart, our amazing pilot director. She made us feel so comfortable and helped us tap into the feeling of first love, which is gut-wrenching, beautiful, and terrifying all at once.

SHUBHAM MAHESHWARI: Emily, Nzingah, and I were all deeply in love with the story and the characters. We discussed the forbidden love aspect, which makes you root for them even more because their circumstances are so tragic.

Character Depth and Complexity

DEADLINE: Shubham, how did you approach building Gat as his own character outside of Cadence’s mind and memories? How does what happened in summer 16 complicate that?

MAHESHWARI: I always thought about how Gat lost his father at a young age, which was the first time he came to the island. It was a horrible year, and then he arrives at this magical place and meets Cadence. Since that moment, she has been an anchor for him.

He resonates happy feelings with her because he met her during a difficult time. He always wants to protect her, especially regarding the secrets of summer 17, knowing how they could harm her.

Filming the Final Goodbye

DEADLINE: Can you both talk about filming that final goodbye scene between your characters?

LIND: Are you trying to make us cry? We were wrecked.

MAHESHWARI: It was so sad. We decided not to rehearse the ending, which made it feel more genuine.

LIND: Shubham and I spent every moment on set for four to five months. We rehearsed constantly, going back and forth between summer 16 and summer 17, navigating the complexities of our characters before and after trauma.

We wanted the final scene to feel authentic, and I think we achieved that.

RELATED: How ‘We Were Liars’ Creators And Author E. Lockhart Wanted To “Stretch Out The Suspense” Of The Show’s Ending